In the early morning hours of Sept. 3, 1925, the U.S. Navy airship, the U.S.S. Shenandoah, was torn apart in a violent storm and crashed in the fields of Noble County, OH. Of the 43 men on board, 14 died and 29 survived. Wheeling was the last major population center to see the airship, just hours before the crash. Wheeling came out that night in grand fashion to cheer on the beautiful craft as she glided over the city.
The stories of the ill-fated crew and those on the ground who stepped forward in the aftermath are told in Judi Tarowsky’s original story, “The Heroes of the U.S.S. Shenandoah.”
Theresa Rayner, chair of the U.S.S. Shenandoah Commemoration Observances in Ava, OH, said, “Ms. Tarowsky’s exquisite presentation of details and facts brings the story of the airship to life and makes you, the listener, a part of her story. What a privilege to experience history being made so vividly alive in our imaginations by Ms. Tarowsky’s expertise.”
Robyn Hunt, granddaughter of Lieutenant Commander Zachary Lansdowne, the airship leading officer, said of the story: “Judi's presentation of the story of the Shenandoah was excellent. I am still telling my friends about it. So very meaningful for all my family who were there, as well as for the other descendants of crewmen I'm sure.”
Judi Tarowsky graduated from West Virginia University and worked for newspapers in the Upper Ohio Valley. She currently is president of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild. Judi writes and performs original stories, historical narratives, and tall tales. She also presents family stories, old fairy tales, Celtic tales, ghost stories, and traditional folk tales. Judi co-produces the Grand Vue Storytelling Festival in Moundsville, WV. She is a frequent teller at the West Virginia State Folk Festival; the Dublin Irish Festival in Dublin, OH; as well as the Appalachian Festival in Frostburg, MD. She was a Ghost Story Concert performer at the 2024 Tejas Storytelling Festival in Denton, TX, where she also presented a workshop on researching and telling historical narratives.
She resides in Weirton, WV.
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